The New Prophecy
by littletreetopper
Summary: Merlin is anxious for Arthur to discover what's right in front of him but when Arthur overhears Merlin spill all of his secrets is it the breakthrough Merlin's been hoping for or will it be a bumbling mess of misunderstandings and miscommunications? It sure as hell better not be for the fate of Albion rests on the shoulders of these two fools. Arthur/Merlin slash.


**Disclaimer:** Obviously I don't own anything, it's fan fiction…

**Warning: **M (language and future M/M slash)

**A/N: **I have a few stories just starting out so whichever ones garner more interest will receive more attention from me but all will continue. Also I should warn you the language in this might get pretty modern partially because I'm too lazy to figure out how they would have said something but mostly I just like making it feel more relatable.

**Chapter 1**

The trees surrounding the clearing rustled fervently and even the stars filling the vast night sky seemed to vibrate at the call of the last Dragon Lord bellowing up at them. Merlin waited patiently with his fists at his sides while he caught his breath with much emphasis from the dramatic rise and fall of his shoulders, and looked up expectantly. Arthur had no idea what may be coming; he was still reeling from the drawling sonic boom he somehow just lived through. From his hiding spot he could hear the sound of large wings batting the air before the creature suddenly came into view. He was two seconds away from running out to save his servant and friend when he realized the dragon simply sat down across from Merlin, with an almost annoyed huff followed by a definite eye-roll. _Bloody hell Merlin's having a chat with a goddamn dragon! _Arthur thought while he continued to inch closer through the trees.

"You know, just because you _can_ call me doesn't mean you should." The dragon let out an exasperated sigh, "I mean good lord Merlin how many times has it been this week, I'm starting to think you have a crush or something," the dragon smirked.

"Actually Kilgharrah, that's an interesting choice of words," Merlin laughed. Kilgharrah cocked his head questioningly before his eyes widened and he dropped his head in desperation.

"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin I thought we decided you were over this a long time ago!" Arthur could feel the dragon's annoyance rumble beneath his feet. This was so completely not anywhere near the realm of what Arthur was expecting to catch Merlin doing when he saw him sneaking off in the middle of the night. As much as Arthur wanted to bust into the middle of their conversation it was still a fucking dragon. The Great Dragon by the looks of it and he didn't think he'd be able to go over there without doing something really stupid. _Merlin said I killed that sonofabitch. How can this be happening?_

"Come on I told you it wasn't just going to go away because _you_ think it's for the best!" Merlin gestured wildly.

"I'm only thinking of you Merlin! I'm sorry, Merlin but you know Arthur doesn't think he's _that_ kind of man yet. He's falling all over himself for Gwen for christ's sake!" _Whoa whoa whoa what the hell are they talking about? _Arthur could not believe what he was seeing. First Merlin calls a dragon to his side but now it was to talk about him? And apparently Merlin does this all the time? _What the fuck is going on, Merlin?_

"Oh please. They've kissed like twice, if you can even call those kisses, and I can tell Arthur's losing interest anyway." Merlin's back was too him and Arthur really wanted to march over there and make Merlin say that to his face. _Arrogant clot pole! I guess I am kinda over Gwen though…huh._

"Alright alright, I know you two are meant to be an all that jazz but we talked about how you have to wait till Arthur is king! Besides he hasn't even realized his feelings for you yet and you know it. He's still developing his interest, just give it time young warlock. You are well aware matters of the heart should not be…"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Merlin threw up a hand to stop him, "I get it. Believe it or not this isn't what I called to talk to you about you just got me all riled up." Merlin let his shoulders relax a second before squaring them off and settling his voice," What do you know about the last dragon's egg?" Kilgharrah's eyes widened in surprise before he could contain himself, and Arthur was just about ready to jump out of his skin. How could he ever have thought that spying on Merlin would be fun? This blackmail material turned out to be of a much more potent variety. He contemplated just leaving now, he didn't want to hear anymore but he knew that was lie, and he was already out there anyway.

"It is a myth unfortunately." Merlin wasn't convinced and Kilgharrah could tell. "Well believe me if you think as the last of my kind I haven't looked for it…" The Great Dragon sighed, "it's nowhere to be found, if it even exists." Then the golden eyes narrowed to slits, "_why_?"

"I don't have to tell _you_ that's not how this works remember? You dragon, me Dragon Lord." Merlin pointed out.

Arthur's head was basically about to explode. So much information to digest and yet more was still drifting towards him from the clearing. _Don't process right now, you just can't. Absorb. _Arthur returned his attention to the conversation with renewed determination.

"I just told you what I know and it's obvious you've heard something so bloody spill it already. You've already pissed me off enough with your lover boy nonsense." The dragon huffed out a great breath and narrowed its golden eyes at Merlin.

"Alright well I'm probably just bringing another lecture on myself but this time I might deserve it." The dragon's eyes narrowed further into slits. "Sooo I may have been curious about some of the magical artifacts in the vaults and I knew I shouldn't have but I sort of usedoneoftheseeingcrystals." Merlin's words spilled out of him in panic as the Kilgharrah's eyes grew wider and wider as he went on. The dragon closed his eyes and took a deep breath like he was attempting to meditate and exhaled slowly before opening his eyes again and focusing on Merlin.

"What did you see?" He asked calmly.

"Uhhhm what no screaming?" Merlin asked with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"If you've seen the dragon's egg I've been searching for for years then that's a little more important right now don't you think, Emrys?" Kilgharrah scolded. "Now what did you see?"

"Right. Of course. Uhhm there were doors in a mountain but they were beautiful, carved into the stone with images and inscriptions and they parted slowly… I walked through with someone next to me but I didn't see who it was." Merlin shifted uncomfortably on his feet shrinking back from the most searing look the dragon has ever given him. "And that was the end of the vision but I could feel it in my heart or the me in the vision could, the presence of a dragon or something like it and the inscription…"

"What did it say?" Kilgharrah was clearly getting anxious.

"Uhhm one second I wrote it down…" Merlin tore the parchment as he tugged it from his pocket but straightened it out before he continued, ignoring the dragon's eye-roll. "Only when the last lord and last of our kind remains should the uniting pair bring forth new life. Only from the brink can they resurrect peace. Only should they fail, shall all cease." Merlin slowly looked back up at the dragon who looked supremely pleased. Merlin found that even more disturbing than the usual anger or annoyance he saw there and desperately wished he could just get yelled at already.

"You bore witness to a prophecy young warlock. A prophecy I have been waiting to hear for most of my life. Thank you." The dragon smiled but its bared teeth looked more menacing than reassuring.

"Yeah, no problem." Merlin smiled nervously. This was going to well.

"We do not know when this will come to pass but we know that you and I are the last of our kind so that only means we're half way there. I am however not convinced that you and I are the uniting pair you spoke of since we already know that you and Arthur are meant to unite all of Albion." Merlin's eyes grew to large round orbs as the dragon spoke. "We could be but I think this prophecy will become clearer once you have completed the task of uniting Albion with the once and future King. No need to start piling impossible tasks on top of one another, right?" The dragon huffed out a laugh but it seemed a little forced. Merlin just stood there with his mouth hanging open. After a few minutes of pensive silence Merlin looked up.

"Is that it? Just keep doing what I'm doing? Just keep protecting Arthur, keep pretending I'm pathetic, keep pretending I don't love him, keep pretending, keep pretending!" Merlin shouted into Kilgharrah's face.

"Well what did you think was going to change with this Emrys? You didn't really find anything concrete. I don't suppose you know where this mountain is? Do you?"

"No." Merlin sighed. "Yeah I get it. I'm so sick of all this destiny crap. Sometimes I wish I was just a pathetic servant it would make things so much simpler."

"Don't lie to yourself young warlock, you know in your heart what is meant to be. Never falter. Arthur needs you at his side and you know you too would be lost without him."

"Yeah, yeah the stupid prat." Merlin laughed lightly and watched the dragon spring from his crouch into the expansive sky above. Slowly he made his way back to Camelot.

Arthur could hardly breath and was desperately trying not to spring to life and charge after Merlin. He knew that nothing good would come of that right now, especially since he would probably just collapse from the lack of oxygen to his brain. _Breathe, Arthur, just breathe._ The thoughts repeated becoming a mantra in his head. He slowly began to regain motor function and let his head fall back unto the tree to allow more air into his lungs. Out of nowhere he starts laughing. It becomes somewhat of a maniac and desperate laughter, like if he doesn't laugh he'll probably never make it out of this forest without falling on his own sword. After what felt like hours but was most likely about half of one Arthur regains some composure.

_Okay, now it's time to think. Simplify. What did you learn? First, Merlin or Emrys or whatever is not only a sorcerer but the last Dragon Lord… Alright._

_Second, it is his destiny to protect you and help you unite the land of Albion. Alright well that one doesn't sound so bad… and that bit about the dragon egg is just going to go into the currently irrelevant pile cause this is too much shit to deal with all at once. _

_Third, He's in love with you and you're destined to be together. Bloody hell. _

Using the tree behind him for support Arthur rose to his feet. He shifted his feet testing them out before he trusted them to carry him home. Arthur began his trek back to the castle with a few stumbles but eventually regained his footing, still lost in thought, but what he was thinking about even he didn't really know. Was he angry? Shocked? Impressed? Really he thought he might be impressed more than anything else at this point. His bumbling idiot of a manservant was actually a super badass destined for greatness. And so was he by extension. It was truly incredible.

He wanted to be angry at the deception, the betrayal but he knew if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes or heard it from the mouth of the Great Dragon himself he wouldn't have believed it. It was far too impossible. He still didn't know if he believed it, but he heard it. He heard Merlin call to the dragon with that voice and those words he couldn't understand.

Somehow though, out of everything he'd learned the one fact that kept pushing itself to the forefront of his mind was that his servant was in love with him. Love… Merlin loved him. Not only that but one day he would love him back? Out of all the impossible things he'd heard that seemed the most unlikely. He didn't love Merlin, at least not that way… and he definitely didn't love men at all! Arthur continued walking and mulling things over until he found himself facing a citadel wall. He allowed his thoughts to shift into the best way to sneak back into his chambers unnoticed.

Lying in bed he finally reached a decision. He'd been torturing himself for hours but eventually his pride and stubbornness won out. The dragon talked about him like he was the bumbling idiot and not Merlin, like he was the fool who didn't know what he was doing or how he was feeling and it made Arthur's blood boil to conclude that he was right. _At least they don't know that I know, so I can turn this around on them. I'll prove that winged bastard exactly how capable I am. Starting with figuring out my relationship with Merlin. _Because somehow that was still the most troubling thing he had learned. Sure Merlin was a sorcerer and a Dragon Lord but apparently his bloody destiny was to protect Arthur so it's not like he had to fear him and he was in love with him for christ's sake so that made his father's whole 'evil avenging sorcerer' theory irrelevant in this situation.

This brought on a whole other line of thought as his eyelids began to flutter. _Is magic truly evil? Merlin can't be evil - he loves me. Why does my father hate magic so much? Is it just cause he can't control it? With Merlin by my side when I am king… we would – together._

"Merlin! Do you want Arthur to put you in the stocks again? Get up!" Gaius shook his head at the grumbling young man as he fell onto the cold stone floor finally opening his eyes.

"Let him try!" Merlin shouted defiantly, but he knew there was nothing he could really do to stop it. He had the practically permanent tomato tinge to his face and cabbage smell to prove it.

"Are you ready yet or do I get to eat your breakfast as well as mine?" Merlin groaned again and made his way into the main room scowling at Gaius as he took his seat across from his guardian.

"Thanks" Merlin said somewhat sarcastically but still grateful for the nourishment.

"Of course. You were out late last night, care to enlighten an old man?" Gaius asked with one brow raised expectantly. Merlin new it was pointless to lie and Gaius always proved faithful with sound advice.

"I was speaking with Kilgharrah. He's actually rather needy." Merlin deiced to go with a half lie. Just because the dragon wasn't as upset with Merlin about touching the crystal as he'd expected there was no reason to assume Gaius would react the same way. Still Gaius didn't seem entirely convinced. His eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Really? What have you been discussing that has had you sneaking out more nights than not this week?" Merlin grimaced. For a damn sorcerer he really needed to work on stealth. How the hell had Arthur not noticed a thing but Gaius was all up in his 'biznass' all the time? He supposed it helped to know what you were looking for. Merlin sighed in defeat.

"He's honestly kind of a friend now. When I want to talk to someone he's there… or rather he has no choice but the be there when I call him. And he has centuries of wisdom I cannot deny…" Merlin started to feel guilty as Gaius shrank. Gaius was always there for him and was plenty wise and he could tell the man took some offence to the obvious dismissal. However there were just some things you didn't talk about with your father figure or whatever, like you love life or lack there of. "Gaius I know you are always here for me but I feel bad burdening you with all my problems and sometimes it's just easier to let the damn dragon carry them when I know he has nothing better to do and… I don't know I'm sorry. I guess I just feel less guilty taking up his time because he has no other choice but to listen to me complain and whine when I know you have so much work to do." The old man seemed to relax a little so Merlin continued. "I know that I can always come to you if there truly is a problem but when I'm just pissed or upset and need to vent about something stupid I let him deal with me instead." Merlin searched the other man's eyes with his best puppy-dog look. Gaius sighed somewhat relieved.

"I understand Merlin, I'm just glad you know you can come to me if you need to, but please also know that you don't need to lie to me. If you need to go out and talk to Kilgharrah don't feel like you need to keep that from me too." Gaius patted Merlin's hand and the younger man smiled in response, relieved that he has alleviated the older man's doubts for a time.

"Thank you, Gaius. You're right though I better get going." With that he grabbed his last bit of bread and took off towards the kitchens to grab Arthur's breakfast before heading to his master's chambers.

When he got there he was surprised to see Arthur up and about reading some paper or other instead of snuggled up half naked in his bed like he usually enjoyed witnessing. He reluctantly set the prince's breakfast down on the table and waited calmly with his hands clenched behind his back.

"Morning, Arthur." Arthur turned as if he hadn't noticed his manservant at all till now when that couldn't be further from the truth. Now that he was aware he couldn't help but notice Merlin's disappointed glance between himself and his bed when he first entered. Arthur smirked, this could actually amusing if he tried.

"Morning, Merlin." Arthur smiled and stretched enjoying his servant's very slight blush and glance at his midriff. He chocked back a laugh. How had he never noticed this before? For a moment he really did fee like an idiot, but quickly dismissed it. How was he supposed to know his servant had a man-crush on him? He could hardly be blamed for not seeing the signs when they shouldn't have been there in the first place, but now that he did notice them he planned to take full advantage. He ate his breakfast as sensually as possible allowing himself to moan occasionally and lick his fingers and lips when necessary. He was somewhat surprised with himself that rather than being disgusted by Merlin's obvious discomfort or enjoyment depending how you looked at it, he was only encouraged to continue pushing the servant's limits.

Being a prince there were plenty of opportunities to bring whores into one's bed but Arthur honestly found that practice highly disturbing. He expected his bride to be to be pure and honest and held himself to the same standard. Besides, when he was almost fifteen Gaius he taken him aside and warned him of various diseases and their effects should he take to bedding salacious ladies. If that wasn't enough to scare a boy celibate than he didn't know what would. He knew some of his Knights had taken to bedding their servant boys and he couldn't deny he was aroused by the idea but now he cared for Merlin too much to demand such acts from him and besides, his right hand hadn't failed him yet.

Merlin was waiting desperately for Arthur to give him a task so he wasn't standing there squirming while his master ate his breakfast in an absolutely obscene manner. Seriously what was Arthur doing? Merlin shifted uncomfortably and regulated his breathing willing himself with every fiber to remain flaccid; it wouldn't do to tent his plain linen trousers, they weren't the most concealing. Finally he gave up and just started tidying up the chamber without being asked not noticing the smirk Arthur shot in his direction.

"Merlin I'd like you to prepare my horse and belongings for a hunt. I've been craving some time enjoying the forest. While you get things ready I'll be speaking with my father." Merlin nodded while Arthur wiped his hands on his napkin and stood.

"Of course. May I ask which Knights will be joining us?" Arthur held back a grin at the question.

"Actually it will just be us, I feel I need a break from the lads." Arthur relished in the surprise and blush all over his servants face.

"Uhh certainly. I'll get everything ready. How long do you expect to be gone?" Merlin was clearly excited and Arthur couldn't help but enjoy the response and smiled back.

"Two or three days. Gaius can spare you, right Merlin?" Arthur asked fully knowing Merlin wouldn't refuse if the immediate response he got was any indication.

"Of course. Everything should be ready in about and hour." Merlin was grinning like an idiot and was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet much to his master's amusement. With that Arthur walked from the room to discuss this spur of the moment decision with his father. He decided to ignore the flip-flopping of his stomach because admitting he was excited or nervous to spend a few days very alone with Merlin simply wouldn't do.


End file.
